The hollowness seeped into Kai, forcing his body to shiver. And even to him, the void crept cold through him. Natsu stayed stoic.

Kai desperately reached to his side for his sword that would not come. Somehow Acnologia was cutting out Spatial magic. There was plenty of Ethernano in the Space Between Time for them to draw their natural magic.

A pit formed in Kai's stomach. Of course that was how he escaped the attack from the Christina. He absorbed enough magic to pull this off, and to somehow defy dimensions.

"Though I enjoy a good hunt, gaining the ability to pick all of the dragons out will make things much easier," Acnologia said.

Kai sneered. "You forgot one. Or are you really that afraid of Irene Belserion?"

"She teeters on the edge of death. She shall be destroyed soon at my hand. I wished to give you both a more personal touch, as I did Igneel and Kairi."

Natsu raised a flaming fist. "That's enough."

"Oh, go on. Attack me. Maybe you haven't heard, but there's not a spell in your little repertoire that's going to help."

"He's right," Kai said with a pained voice. "Magic doesn't work on him."

"Doesn't mean we can't try," Natsu said.

Acnologia rolled his shoulders back and tilted his head, examining the two Dragon Slayers. Kai met Acnologia's gaze with a glare.

The Apocalypse Dragon remained so calm and apathetic. Power radiated off of him just as much as before, but now he had a nonchalant aura to back it and piss Kai off. What angered Kai more was knowing Acnologia more than made up in power to back it up.

"Right now you stand in a dimension ruled by me, and soon, the world beyond will be rendered asunder as this one," Acnologia said, his lips still curled in a horrendous and devilish grin. "I shall no longer be just a dragon but a god!"

"Already dealt with one of those," Kai said, trying to keep his voice level.

"Not one like me. This dimension is wonderful. It's everything I've ever wanted. It has allowed me to obliterate your kind and assert my dominance at once!"

"How?" Kai asked.

"Right now you're seeing my spirit," Acnologia said. "Consuming the magic of this world has given me a mastery over space and time. Thus, I can divide myself. My physical form ravages the outside world, and this body will be more than enough here."

He closed a fist. Natsu froze and tiny crystals ebbed their way up his leg. Kai kicked at the crystals but some started to grow around him as well.

They were just like the ones that held the others behind them. The crystals around Natsu grew much faster than they did around Kai.

"This is how you want us to go?" Kai shrieked.

"I'm going to slowly destroy the others," Acnologia said. "And make you watch as I chip away at them. You'll be unable to move or do anything. This is all you will have amounted to. All that Kairi will have amounted to!"

Natsu shouted as the crystals continue to grow around him and construct his movement. Kai kicked and punched at them but the crystals around him coated his legs and stopped him from moving.

His fists swung with more desperation. He held back tears. Acnologia's cackle turned to a full howl.

"Ice Dragon Talon!" Kai roared, and shattered the crystal around Natsu, who stumbled forward, flames surrounding him.

Kai kept his fist balled and glowered at Acnologia.

"I have had enough of you thinking you can do whatever you want," Kai said. "You might be a king of dragons, but we are not dragons! We're humans, we're Dragon Slayers! And right now there's only one dragon I see ahead of me!"

Natsu's flames exploded around him. "You think you can destroy the world? Not a chance, not while we're still breathing!"

Kai surged his magic too, cracking the crystals beneath his feet.

But not just beneath, but behind, more crystals continue to crack and shift. Acnologia's laughing stopped and his expression turned to frustration.

Kai checked over his shoulder, and the other six crystals completely broke. Gusts of power blew from the six new presences. The dust and debris settled as the others approached Natsu and Kai.

"One of you or eight of you, it won't make a difference," Acnologia growled. "You'll all die."

"Just shut up," Kai said.

Acnologia stood up straight and held his arm at his side, likely his form of a patent taunt, begging the Dragon Slayers to attack.

"Did I hear something about magic not working on this guy?" Cobra asked.

"That's right," Kai said. "At this point, though? We just need to figure out how to beat him."

"Best way to do that? Fight and kick the crap outta him," Natsu added, slamming his fists together.

"Now you're speaking my language," Laxus said, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles. "This guy has caused us more than our share of issues."

"Acnologia, right?" Cobra asked, stepping up as well, standing next to Kai. "Looks like you finally found him." He gestured at Kai.

"Our dragons told us all about this guy when we were kids," Sting said.

"He's the bastard that killed all those dragons in Crocus," Gajeel said.

"I'll see if any of my Enchantments can help," Wendy said.

"We'll need to all work together to defeat him," Rogue said.

"No holding back." Kai summoned his aura around him, just as the others did in a flash, creating a powerful rainbow of color flaring in front of Acnologia.

"I wouldn't have this any other way!" Acnologia roared. "Come, Dragon Slayers, do your worst!"

Nobody, at first, moved, and then, it was as if the floodgates opened. As Kai tried to consider the best course of action against Acnologia, Laxus, Natsu, and Gajeel all sprinted forward, Laxus obviously getting there first.

Wendy enchanted all of them and stayed back. Sting and Rogue shot forward together while Cobra slunk to the side, away from the initial wave of attacks, to avoid splash damage and to find his own opening.

Kai continued to assess the situation as Acnologia easily batted aside Gajeel's initial attacks and dodged Laxus, leaving himself open to an attack from Natsu that he also managed to brush off.

Sting and Rogue buffeted him with a combined attack of their own that also seemed to do little damage, while Cobra snuck in from behind and struck Acnologia, nudging him forward enough for Laxus to fly in for a hard punch to the face.

"Roaring Thunder!"

An explosion of lightning consumed the area but was gone in a flash. Kai sprinted forward as Acnologia swept aside the dust cloud that'd formed and he remained, still, unfazed.

Kai kicked away Acnologia's leg before he could kick Laxus down. Gajeel came flying in from behind and punched Acnologia across the face, but only enough to knock his head back.

Blue lightning crackled around him and then he burst with even more magic, knocking Kai and Gajeel away. Kai caught himself in mid air, dodging a magical dart that Acnologia shot at him.

Acnologia closed his fists and the crystals hanging over them glowed blue before they broke off and launched down at all the Dragon Slayers. Kai slid in front of Wendy, who was still Enchanting everyone.

"Ice Dragon Roar!"

He shattered the crystals before they could impact them, but Acnologia summoned them back and consumed them, as they had trace amounts of Kai's magic. He then did the same for all the others who magically broke their crystals.

"He's taunting us," Kai muttered.

"So, looks like even magic that you can keep physically attached on your body won't work," Wendy said. "I could try enchanting your Dragon Slayer magic with a Dragon Slayer enchantment, maybe some weird amalgamation of magic will work."

"Do it on Laxus," Kai said. "He seems to be the one able to hit Acnologia the most, for what good it's doing."

Wendy agreed and Kai charged back into battle, catching Acnologia's attention as he swatted Sting away before the White Dragon Slayer could even get off an attack.

Kai dodged Acnologia's gust of power he blasted at Kai, thought it also almost hit Wendy. He slid against the crystalline floor and was almost at Acnologia before something bound him in midair and a crystal dropped from the sky to crush his leg.

Acnologia sneered. Natsu came flying in from above with a powerful flaming fist.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus - Phoenix Blade!"

Acnologia's face lit up.

"Wendy!" Kai shouted.

A crackle of lightning coursed across Kai's vision, and Laxus, now with a slightly different aura, surged in between Kai and Acnologia, punching the Apocalypse Dragon hard across the face as Natsu's attack both Laxus and Acnologia almost dead-on, had Kai not yanked Laxus out of the way. Unfortunately, Laxus took the brunt of the explosion and flew back, crashing Kai into the wall.

More dust exploded everywhere. Everyone settled down. Kai knelt on the ground, only to be met with a healing aura from Wendy as she stitched his shattered leg back together.

"That had better have worked," Laxus said, panting.

"I would like to know…what part of that did you think would be any different than what you've tried before?"

Acnologia's voice rumbled across the dimension and the dust cleared as Natsu's body was cast forward, dropping to the ground in an unconscious mess.

Kai's heart dropped. Natsu was still alive, but the boy was definitely out cold. Wendy's healing aura shifted from Kai to Natsu. Kai's leg wasn't perfect, but he could at least stand. Use it in a fight, or even run? Different story.

Acnologia roared and several crystals flew directly at Wendy, which Laxus moved to intercept. Gajeel stormed Acnologia, who easily blocked his attacks with one hand and swatted Gajeel away.

Sting and Rogue gave him a slightly harder time if only because of their numbers.

Wendy slouched forward, exhausted from the constant stream of magic. She powered up to Dragon Force, catching Acnologia's attention.

Kai hobbled forward. "Ice Dragon Tundra!"

He swung his arms out as Acnologia dashed forward, casing the entire ground in slippery ice that Acnologia did manage to trip on. Wendy blasted herself out of the way of his strike, maintaining flight high in the air. Acnologia glanced down at Natsu's body, still getting healed. Laxus blocked the path to him.

"Try it, I dare you," Laxus said.

"You'd give your life for him?" Acnologia asked.

"For anyone in my family," Laxus said. "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

He swung one of his mighty attacks at Acnologia, who blocked it with a fist of his own, supercharged with his own magic.

And that's when Cobra sprang forward.

He leapt out from the shadows, his draconic talons dripping with poison, and slashed Acnologia hard across the back, no doubt filling him with enough poison to—

"Did you think even that would work?" Acnologia asked with a cackle. "Your poison is derived from magic, and I am the dragon of magic!"

He unlatched from his attack against Laxus and kicked him away before turning his own talon on Cobra and blasting him back.

Acnologia turned to kick Natsu away, but the Fire Dragon Slayer managed to get to his knees and block it just in time, sliding far back against the wall before he came to a halt.

Kai's leg ached for just a moment more before it was back to normal. He checked the skies. Wendy was still up there, panting, but maintained her Dragon Force form.

The six original Dragon Slayers stood together as Acnologia opened his arm to them.

"Well? Is this all you can do?"

Kai sighed and bowed his head. All of them together and this was all they'd managed? Not even a clue on how to defeat him? He wiped the blood from his head and flicked it away.

"Not even close, we were just warming up is all," Gajeel said, cracking his neck and knuckles. "Now you'll get to see some real fun tricks, right Salamander?"

"If you guys are thinking of doing what I'm suspecting, let me join in the fun, too," Sting said.

Natsu stepped forward, brushing himself off.

"Let's do it, then! Lightning Flame Dragon Mode!"

"Iron Shadow Dragon Mode!"

"White Shadow Dragon Mode!"

In a flare, Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting all drastically changed not only appearances but also vastly expanded their power. Lightning crackled around Natsu while Gajeel and Sting gained extra shadows around them.

Acnologia smirked. "Dual modes? It's truly been some time since I've seen this."

"And it'll be the last time you see it, too!" Gajeel roared, and rushed Acnologia before vanishing, same as Sting.

Natsu, with much faster speed, still charged Acnologia.

"Lightning Flame Dragon Roar!"

Kai moved fast, slamming his fists on the ground.

"Ice Dragon Glacier!"

A glacier shot up and caught Acnologia, freezing him in place as Natsu's spell took hold. Acnologia tried to break free but Kai pushed more magic in.

The attack washed over Acnologia, and was almost fully absorbed by him before Gajeel's iron fist, now leeched with shadow, smacked against Acnologia and blasted him forward, only for Sting to catch up with him and back-hand Acnologia into the ground.

Wendy, then, fell from above.

"Sky Dragon Shattering Sky Drill!"

She slid on the ground and hit Acnologia point-blank with her spell, sending him flying so far he broke through some crystal formations and toppled to the ground.

Acnologia slowly picked himself up, brushing aside some of the dust and debris.

The three dual-mode Dragon Slayers attacked once more but were held at bay by Acnologia's overwhelming pressure he exerted. Only Natsu was able to break through and almost punch him, but Acnologia forced him back with a Dragon Roar.

"Even the Dual modes aren't enough?" Rogue muttered.

Acnologia wiped his mouth and strode forward.

They got back up, refusing to stay down.

Each of those Dragon Slayers bore the magic and markings of those that they'd borrowed power from, and yet still, it was all they could do to push Acnologia back.

Even with mixed magic, he could consume it. He could consume all magic.

But there had to be something, some magic he couldn't eat, some magic that would effect him! Kai wished he had his own magic to consume, so he could…

Kai's eyes widened, and realization dawned on him. He stared at the crystals, which appeared an awful lot like those from the Tower of Heaven—the crystals of Ethernano. He glanced at Natsu and the others, having consumed magic.

And he remembered Acnologia's own magic attack from earlier, when he struck himself with the Dragon Roar out by the Space Between Time rift, and how it pained him.

"No Dragon Slayer can consume their own magic," Kai muttered, and stared back at Acnologia. "Guys…I've got it! I know how we can beat Acnologia!"

Sting flew by overhead, blasted back by Acnologia.

Natsu and Gajeel slid back as well, forced from their Dual modes. Kai beckoned Laxus and Cobra join them. Rogue helped Sting over.

"We have to absorb Acnologia's magic," Kai said. "Somehow, in some attack that he does, if we can all take in his magic and merge it with our own, he won't be able to consume it. He will have to be effected by it, meaning he'll be able to take damage!"

"So everything we throw at him will actually mean something, eh?" Gajeel asked.

Kai nodded, despite the growing knot in his stomach. "I'll admit, it's only a theory, and if we take a direct shot from Acnologia…"

"Even if we don't, what chance do we have?" Rogue asked.

"Toil away with little ideas all you like," Acnologia said. "Even if you can somehow find away to escape here, it means nothing. My physical form is laying waste to your world as we speak."

"We have to try," Natsu said.

Kai pursed his lips. "We do. Together."

He glared at Acnologia, standing all alone, while he stood alongside his friends. It sickened him a bit to need Acnologia's own power to defeat him…but then, it was kind of funny in that way, wasn't it?

Acnologia stopped and frowned at them.

"So you'll just keel over and die, then? Fine. You make this all too easy."

"It's probably going to hurt a lot," Kai said, but someone grabbed his hand.

Natsu.

Someone else took his hand: Wendy.

All of the Dragon Slayers linked hands or arms, standing side-by-side opposite of Acnologia.

"It'll be alright," Natsu said.

Kai let out a nervous sigh, his chest trembling, his lips quivering, but he stayed stoic and stood tall in front of Acnologia. He relaxed a bit.

Acnologia glowered at them all. "This unity means nothing. You'll all just die together!"

"Wrong," Natsu said. "We're going to live together!"

"Your lives ended the moment I brought you to my dimension!" Acnologia roared. "This is the end! Final Dragon Roar!"

The entire dimension flared a dark blue color before the beam of magic shot right at the lot of them, large enough to easily consume them all.

Kai stared it down, all the while the visage of Acnologia vanished.

"Now, everyone!"

And as the magic hit them, Kai forced his body to act on an instinct he'd only ever felt when consuming ice, when consuming the element he needed to grow powerful.

The magic entered his system and his entire body locked up, freezing, and shooting pain throughout him. It had no taste but it had malice, it had evil laced throughout it.

It clashed with the purity of the faded Dragon Seed in Kai's body. Tears slid down his face while the magic washed over the Dragon Slayers, almost making him fall back—but Wendy and Natsu held strong.

They all did, not breaking their line once, each of the Dragon Slayers remaining standing while they did their best to absorb Acnologia's magic.

The collision of magic with the Dragon Slayers caused an overload, and the magic exploded around them, sending crystalline dust everywhere.

Kai's chest burned while his soul ached. His mind spun and he couldn't form a single thought beyond one thing:

Magic.

He thought only of magic and the power that it wrought. His body tightened up. Rage overcame him, a swift rage that he knew all too well from his time in Clover Town.

Yet, just as soon as it came, it passed, as he felt the familiar grip of two old friends: Natsu and Wendy, both of whom anchored him.

And from within, he sensed others:

Erza. Gray. Iggy. Lucy. Happy. Carla. Master Makarov. Jellal. Ultear.

Kairi.

His eyes flashed open as the dust started to settle around the Dragon Slayers. They all checked their hands and bodies, now marked with faded blue lines and markings, as if they'd had a little bit of Dragon Force activated.

Kai summoned a bit of magic, and indeed, something about it seemed different.

Acnologia reappeared, a moment of shock passing over his face before it settled into that apathetic calm from before.

"Well, it appears that your little plan may have done something after all," he grumbled.

Kai was the first to step forward, his leg now fully healed.

Absorbing Acnologia's magic was similar, in many ways, to consuming ice. He could only imagine this was what it felt like for Natsu to have eaten the Ethernano on the Tower of Heaven.

He didn't stop, even as Acnologia strode forward to meet him. Kai balled up a fist. His power crackled around it.

"Well?" Acnologia said. "Volunteering to be the first to die, are we?"

"Ice Dragon…"

"That won't do—"

"Scattering Strike!"

The beam surged from Kai's hand at a whole new speed, one that Acnologia was still prepared for.

He still strode forward as if he could walk through it and opened his mouth to consume it, but another moment of terror passed on his expression as the beam hit him dead on and sent him flying back, right into a floating stalagmite.

"What?" Acnologia shrieked.

"It's over!" Kai roared in response, his voice shoving all around the dimension, and through the hearts of the other Dragon Slayers. "Everyone, with everything you've got left, let's go!"

The other seven Dragon Slayers, as if they'd been completely rejuvenated, moved at once. Acnologia maintained a facade of composure.

"Power of the End!" he cast, and from his hand, a bright star of magic formed from a massive magic circle that launched at the approaching Dragon Slayers.

Laxus leapt ahead. "No way! Red Lightning Dragon Mode! Megaton: Red Lightning!"

Laxus flared red, though his scales were more purple thanks to absorbing Acnologia's magic, and the magic pressure of the area expanded immensely. Laxus punched forward with a thunderstorm's worth of red lightning, more than Kai ever thought Laxus capable of, and he blocked the attack.

It did push him back, so he couldn't completely overwhelm it, but it did give the other Dragon Slayers a chance to move in. Kai, still hanging back for a moment in disbelief that his plan worked, summoned forth more magic.

"Ice Dragon Storm!"

The ice magic slammed into Acnologia's beam and froze it in place, allowing Laxus to shatter it.

"Thanks," Laxus muttered. "Now go kick his ass."

Kai nodded and blitzed in to help the others, who still struggled, but were actually to get in some damage.

Wendy flew around Acnologia, constantly drawing his attention while the others advanced.

"Kai!" Cobra called, and Kai nodded at him, knowing a combined attack was imminent.

Gajeel slammed on the ground in front of Acnologia, the latter having dodged an attack, but being unable to dodge a shadowy Rogue, who appeared from the rubble.

Kai took advantage of the broken arena to leap off a sprouted cliff and charge Acnologia.

He spun to face Kai.

"Fool! This still won't help!"

He almost blasted Kai, but Kai cast, "Ice-Make: Copy!" and vanished, Acnologia's attack destroying the fake.

"Poison Dragon Claw!"

Cobra ripped through the sky and slammed down on Acnologia, blasting him into the ground. He bounced back up but was thrown into the winds by a Dragon Force Wendy.

"Holy Ray!"

Sting's attack launched a Acnologia, who deflected it with relative ease.

"Ice Dragon Glacier!"

Kai tried to catch Acnologia again but he easily broke through the ice and plummeted of his own accord.

Natsu attacked on his own.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"

Acnologia returned the attack with his own fist, the two spells colliding and shooting Ethernano sparks and gusts of wind everywhere. Acnologia did manage to only just overpower Natsu, but the big heavy-bigger, Gajeel, came in to do cleanup.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!"

Acnologia would've been fast enough to dodge it but Rogue weaved through the shadows and appeared behind Acnologia, holding him back just long enough for Gajeel to launch his attack.

Rogue vanished into the shadows again just in time to dodge the attack and for Acnologia to get struck by it, completely destroying the platform he'd been on and sending it plummeting down.

Everyone leapt back toward Laxus, who was still on stable ground.

"Nice shot," Natsu said.

"That'll teach him," Gajeel said.

"And probably piss him off real good," Kai said.

"Good," Cobra said. "Can't let him think this is gonna be fun anymore."

The ground beneath them all quivered and a mighty dragon roar filled the dimension before dozens of purple lights filled the area and blasted down at the rest of them.

Kai and Cobra slid forward.

"Searing Ice Scales!"

"Poison Dragon Scales!"

Their wide-area attacks colliding with most of the beams and managed to stop them while the others escaped them, forcing the remaining Dragon Slayers to either dodge or parry them.

Acnologia burst out from the depths.

"Dragon Roar!"

The beam came faster and stronger than before, starling Kai with his ferocity.

"Sky Dragon Roar!"

A much smaller beam slammed into Acnologia's and only just knocked it off course.

Cobra took advantage of Acnologia's momentary confusion and attacked, hoping to poison him again. The two exchanged fast blows. Kai prepared to jump in but Cobra was knocked aside, and out, similar to Laxus.

The remaining six Dragon Slayers, the original six trained by dragons and sent into the future to fulfill their destinies, surrounded their foe.

"So it's come to this, then," Acnologia said. "You've pushed me as far as I thought the Black Wizard could. You've stolen my power, but you haven't seen the extent of it!"

The dimension shook again, and crystals all around them shattered. Everyone held firm despite the growing power, and fear.

Scales grew along Acnologia's body, and his hair somehow sharpened. His once missing-arm regrew in the fashion of a black draconian wing. His eyes flared with a deep blue hatred.

"This is my true power, this is the Dragon Force of the Dragon King!" Acnologia declared, his voice resonant all around. "There is nothing you can do against this!"

Whatever power Acnologia flexed before paled in comparison. Laxus's Red Lightning could rival this. None of their dual modes could.

Good thing, Kai thought, that they didn't just have those Dual Modes.

"You're not the only one with Dragon Force, uncle," Kai said. Where was this confidence coming from? Was it some residual influence from Acnologia's own power?

He didn't really care. The others caught on, and more magic flowed from them.

Auras of orange, green, pink, white, black, and blue exploded in front of Acnologia. Each Dragon Slayer burst alight with their own true power: their own Dragon Force.

Truly, this would've made their parents proud.

"Acnologia," Kai said, and pointed right at his uncle, "this is the end."